The Jump
by Ookami Mononoke
Summary: REVAMPED! Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. However, a disappearance is much different than a sealing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Welcome to the REVAMPED version of The Jump. A.k.a: The Jump 1.5 Now including Naruto's mommy! Yay!

I've aged Naruto's mommy (You'll have to read to find out!) A few years, so don't be surprised if the ages don't really match up with cannon, because they don't. If anyone's confused about the ages, there's a link to a time-line on my profile page.

Currently, we're playing with the rumor that Naruto is Yondaime's son. Because Kishimoto-sensei referres to the Yondaime, as only _Yondaime _-or _Sensei_ by his team- I call him Arashi, meaning "Storm," with the last name of Kazaama. Mostly because this appears to be a popular name for the Yondaime in many fanfictions.

Also, I wrote this story before I read the whole deal including the battle at the Valley of the End, and Sasuke going to Orochimaru, so I'm saying it didn't happen. Hah! So Sasuke is still in Konoha, and Naruto didn't leave because of the Akatsuki - who probably aren't even going to make an appearance in this story.

I will be using minimal Japanese in the story. Meaning no _'Usuratonkachi'_ or _'Dobe' _from Sasuke, and no _'Dattebayou'_ or _'Ano sa' _from Naruto. The only things untranslated are Jutsus, equipment, names, titles, and villages (Such as Konoha. It is not _'The Leaf.'_ Yes, that is its translation, but that is not its _name_. That's like calling Naruto _'Fish-cake,'_ or Uchiha_ 'Fan.'_ ). I don't _speak_ Japanese, so why should I pretend I do?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, just Japanese episodes. No manga, because the VIZ version sucks.

**Summary:** Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. Except for the fact that a disappearance is much different than a sealing. Ver. 1.5!

* * *

**The Jump:**

**Chapter One**

The bitter October wind wrapped around his body with the magnitude of a screaming blizzard.

It wasn't like this before. How long had he been laying here? An hour? A month? A year?

Time was of no consequence, and all he knew was that he had to stay alive. It didn't matter what happened, he knew only that he must stay awake, for if he didn't: all was lost.

His golden locks whipped around him, the harsh fury driving its bitter force to his very bones. The pain was a grey area, unidentifiable as he had never before experienced. His mind wasn't processing correctly, and the blurry awareness of semi-consciousness was like a dull knife hacking away in the corners of his mind. He was aware of the most trivial things; such as the constant chirping of a Cardinal approximately seven point four meters to the north, as well as the ratio of mulch and pure earth, perfect for a successful Doton Jutsu. Useless information.

His hitai-ate lay some two meters away from him, and as much as he wanted to reach out for it, to tie it around his head, he knew his body could not have moved no matter how hard he tried. It was as though ten thousand kunai had embedded themselves in his body and pinned him to the ground.

Although, knowing his luck, they probably had.

He was alone, and painfully aware of it.

The last thing he remembered was the battle. That _thing_ had taken everything from him; he knew the infuriating fox had been given the last laugh. He'd known it as soon as the seal had been complete. The blinding flash, the wailing cry of his son, he'd been blown into oblivion.

Wherever the hell oblivion was, anyway.

He didn't know how long he lay there, or how long he'd been awake or asleep; drifting in and out of consciousness as he'd been doing. The last thing he remembered was looking into the mask of a Konoha ANBU.

With a final prayer of thanks someone had found him, Kazaama Arashi slipped into deep unconsciousness.

Some eight days later, on a well-traversed path only a few hours journey from Konohagakure, a familiar Sannin and teenage pupil ambled intently towards their home village.

Jiraiya frowned at the scroll in his hands as he read over it once more.

What was Tsunade playing at? She knew as well as he did that Arashi had disappeared after the battle with the Kyuubi. Had old age finally settled into her brain? The toad hermit snorted lightly to himself, highly doubting it.

He and his pupil, Naruto, had just returned from their most recent mission: A diplomatic mission concerning the Mist Village. The two villages had a solid packed peace treaty with each other: one that had lasted since the Sandaime Mizukage and the Shodaime Hokage. It was kind of ironic, how each of their villages were based upon opposites, yet fire and water coexisted in complete harmony with each other (with the exceptions of a few rogue ninjas here and there).

Naruto had been brimming with activity throughout the entire ordeal, but did not let himself get carried away. Actually, he handled it all very well. His energy could be excused, however, because of his recent raise in status to a Jounin. Jiraiya shook his head at the thought. Naruto had did enter the ANBU, as many Chunins did, but only spending the required six months of active ANBU duty, and then took the Jounin test. He'd failed his first try, returned to the ANBU for more experience, and came back another six months later only to wipe the field with the other Jounin hopefuls.

Jiraiya himself had been surprised himself at the growth rate of the fifteen year old. The young prodigy had gone from being a dead-last dropout to a Jounin and one of the top shinobi in the village. Although the young teen still wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch. Oh yes, the boy was an incredible on-the-fly strategist (Jiraiya assumed his years as a prankster had something to do with that), but he probably had the densest skull in all of Konoha.

It was hard to believe that only three and a half years ago, this boy had been on the verge of failing the Genin exams, for the fourth time to boot.

Sighing, Jiraiya picked up his pace to keep up with his young pupil. Naruto himself was seen skipping up ahead of the hermit, extinguishing his energy from the completed A-rank mission.

The toad summoner simply walked on, following his student with a shake of his head.

Back in Konoha, the Yondaime tapped a pen on the desk in front of him with incredible boredom. How long was Tsunade going to make him wait? He sighed, and ceased tapping the pen. A slight frown marred his face as he narrowed his eyes at the dent that had formed from himself and the ink pen. He was positive she was keeping him waiting just because she could. She always _had_ acted that way.

He'd been in the hospital for exactly a week recovering, two days in surgery with the medic-nins to repair almost _everything_ in his body, three more days unconscious, and another two recovering. Now on the eighth day around noon, he was awaiting his meeting with the Godaime-sama to hopefully catch up on what he'd missed. He hadn't seen Sarutobi-sama during his time in the hospital, but assumed that his predecessor had visited during Arashi's time unconscious and hadn't wanted to disturb the Yondaime.

Another ragged sigh escaped from his lips, and he turned to the sound of the door being open. His muscles tensed instinctively as a head poked out from behind the door.

"Yon... Yondaime-sama, Tsunade-shishou wishes to see you in her office now," the young student of Tsunade, Shizune, said, her dark eyes glancing away nervously.

Arashi smiled reassuringly at her, "Arashi is fine, if you please."

With that he strode confidently towards the familiar Hokage chambers. He was slightly surprised that Sarutobi-sama had replaced him so quickly. Seriously, only a week missing and he was automatically assumed dead? And how had he found Tsunade so quickly, and convinced her to be the new Hokage? Last Arashi heard, his teacher's teammate had sworn off anything related to Konoha after he brother and fiancé died. The Yondaime shrugged nonchalantly and continued on his way, assuming everything would eventually work out.

As he neared the chambers, he heard a very loud and energetic voice coming from the room. Wondering what ninja in their right mind would make such a loud racket with the Hokage present, he silently walked towards the twin doors that led to the chambers of the Godaime.

A loud yell and a crash was heard, and Arashi instinctively moved left, as a rather green, black and yellow blur flew past him. The boy crashed into the wall at the end of the corridor, and moaned loudly.

"Dammit," the teen grumbled, and rolled over to rise onto all fours, and then to his feet.

The boy was muttering under his breath -no doubt obscenities towards the Hokage- and looking at the ground, hiding his face from Arashi's view. He was wearing slightly faded gray pants, with a black shirt and a dark green higher nin flak jacket. Sunshine hair stood up in points messily, and the golden locks looked slightly untamable. Arashi smirked, and a slight sense of déjà vu came over him as he tugged at his own unruly mass of hair.

Turning, he looked towards the office, "Godaime-sama, you rang?"

In the Hokage chambers, he saw piles and piles of paperwork yet to be filed, as well as two of the legendary Sennin. A familiar mass of white hair obscured almost everything else from view. Jiraiya turned and stared at Arashi, a strange look upon his face.

"So it _is _true," the frog hermit breathed as he stared at his former pupil, "God, you don't know all that has happened since you've been gone." This caused Arashi to look at Jiraiya peculiarly.

What could happen in a week?

Tsunade seemed to deflate from whatever had caused her uproar towards the young shinobi. Her lips lifted in a small smile as she looked at Arashi. "Welcome back, but I'm afraid you may have to go into retirement for a while until I do that myself." She laughed, "That shrimp down there won't be to happy though, he's going to be Rokudaime someday, but at this rate, it's going to be a while."

"EH!!??" The loud reply was from down the corridor, "I am not a shrimp, you old hag!"

Tsunade seemed to transform in a second. First she was laughing and smiling, now she looked positively similar to a bull ready for a rampage. "I'll show you how much of a "_hag"_ I am when I kick your scrawny little ass!" Tsunade yelled back as she rolled up her sleeves, looking like all the world she was about to kill the little shinobi down the corridor.

"EH!!?? Yeah right, old lady!" came the response, followed by a loud bit of laughter. There was a sharp smack, followed by a low moan of pain.

"Ouch! Kakashi-sensei, what the hell was that for!?" was the complain as a low chuckle followed it. "Only making some holes for the air to escape you head, Naruto. Go on home, the Hokage's in another meeting now. Go pick up your payment from your last mission, it was an A-rank, correct?"

"Yeah!" A scuffle was heard, as well as the sound of disappearing footsteps. A loud sigh followed as the sounds drifted out of earshot. Arashi chuckled slightly to himself at the display, but then paused for a moment, wondering when his fifteen year old pupil had gotten himself a student, much less one that was at least a chuunin.

The raunchy Jounin soon appeared in the doorway, his silver hair casting an almost ethereal glow by itself. His eye closed and curved in what could only be interpreted as a smile, and raised his hand in greeting "Yo, Arashi-sensei."

Arashi blinked at the tall man that stood before him. This was his prize pupil, the shorty Kakashi?

Turning, he looked at Tsunade quizzically, surprise evident in his strained voice, "Tsunade-hime, exactly how long has it been since the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the village?"

Tsunade smiled wryly, a small trace of bitterness in her voice, "Over fifteen years, we need to catch you up on a few things, Arashi-chan. You've been gone a long time."

The former Hokage's eyes widened, and not from the affectionate nick-name Tsunade had always used to irritate him. He took a step back from the ninjas before him. _Fifteen years!?_ Arashi thought to himself, shaking his head and backing up further. _What does she mean fifteen years!? They said I was only in the hospital for a week, what's going on!?_ His thoughts were spinning crazily, and his body was going oddly numb. He was heading into shock from the recent trauma he'd been through as well as the sudden news, when suddenly everything went dark.

Arashi's eyes cracked open slowly, his focus going in and out. His mind cleared after a moment, and he looked up at Tsunade who was kneeling over him with a worried look on her face. "Hey, Tsunade-hime. Sorry about that, I was having a strange dream," the Yondaime said a little blearily. "It was really crazy; Kakashi was all grown up, and you said I'd been missing for fifteen years," Arashi chuckled for a second, "Crazy, huh? Next I'm expecting you to tell me my son Kaji is gone."

Tsunade blinked and looked at him curiously. "Arashi-chan" she said gently, " It really has been fifteen years." She paused for a moment, and then what the Yondaime said sank into her mind. "Wait, son!?" she demanded, her brows pulled into a sharp frown.

Somewhere inside Arashi, he felt something break, and he started to shake as he looked at the Godaime. He sat up slowly, and the looked down at his shaking hands.

Tsunade immediately turned to Jiraiya and Kakashi, both intently studying the ground. She glared at them, waiting, until Jiraiya let out a soft gust of breath and looked up miserably at the two of them. "Arashi, we... well, your son..." Jiraiya trailed off, and looked back down to the ground. Then said in nothing more than a whisper, "We never found him after the hospital was destroyed."

"He wasn't in the hospital," Yondaime said absently. "Did it break, then?" he said, looking over to them brokenly.

Something tightened in Tsunade's chest as she shot a look at the Yondaime, sudden realization welled into her. She looked at Jiraiya in something akin to horror, who mimicked her expression. Kakashi, however, did not seem to notice as he looked at his teacher, a slight furrowing of his brow the only visible sign of the frown on his face.

"Did what break, Arashi-sensei?"

Arashi clenched his hands, and he felt his voice crack as he spoke. "The seal. I thought... I thought I'd completed it. I thought it was error-proof. I thought..." he seemed to heave, and tears leaked out over his cheeks, dripping to the floor. He looked up at the three of them, the pain of loss and confusion written all over his face. "God- what... what happened? I was going to trade my soul to seal the fox, but the _Shikigami_ still ate some of the Kyuubi. He was supposed to take _me_! Not Kaji! Never Kaji!"

Arashi cried out and struck the ground, breaking the wooden floor. He withdrew his hand and looked at the shaking appendage, blood leaking out of the cuts the strike had inflicted, through tear fogged eyes. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rocked back and forth, still talking.

"He was supposed to be a hero, dammit! Not me! He wasn't supposed to die! He was supposed to live like a happy kid and pull pranks on his teachers and play all day with his mother and make fun of Sarutobi-sama and... and...!" Arashi broke down and just sat there, rocking back a forth, crying openly in front of three of the people he most trusted.

Tsunade bit her lip as a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. She looked towards the two shinobi beside her; Kakashi staring at his teacher with his visible eye wide, and Jiraiya looking too shocked to speak.

The sound of the double doors opening caused all three ninjas standing to jump slightly while Arashi just sat on the ground, no longer moving with tears streaming down his face.

A head full of purple hair popped into the room, grinning cheerfully with eyes curved shut. "Hey, old hag! Sorry I'm late, there was some... trouble... with..." the woman trailed off as she looked at Arashi sitting on the floor. He moved slowly, his tear-stained face sunken and usually bright sapphire eyes looking morbid and decayed. Her own shocked chocolate eyes met his, and she was across the room in an instant, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his warm shoulder, tears flowing down her face.

The Yondaime snuck his arms around her, clutching her tightly to him. He couldn't tell who was shaking more, himself, or the woman in his arms. He felt her withdraw slightly, and before he could protest, the next thing he knew she was kissing him soundly. After a few seconds, she pulled back from him and lay her forehead against his. They looked at each other for a long moment, until a soft voice interrupted them.

Tsunade looked at them uncertainly, "Arashi-chan... I... I don't really know how to say this, but... if... if what you said is true, about the Kyuubi, then... then your son's alive."

Both shinobi on the ground looked at her sharply, two sets of eyes widening.

Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko had only ever felt so happy in her life perhaps three times. The day Kazaama Arashi asked her to marry him, their small and private, but beautiful ceremony, and the day she found out she was pregnant. At the age of nineteen, all had happened, and the day of her son's birth, both he and her husband died. They'd kept her pregnancy a secret, even from their closest friends. Only two had known, and they had been both Arashi's student, and his teacher; Kakashi and Jiraiya.

Anko didn't remember too much about the day either her son and husband died, and for a long time, she'd almost been glad.

Her memory, no matter how she tried to recall that day, was foggy with the haze of exhaustion from her son's delivery. She hadn't even seen him after the birth, falling unconscious after he was born. It had been a hard delivery, almost twenty hours in labor, and had very nearly killed her.

Later, she awoke to find herself on the ground, still bleeding between her legs, and no hospital in sight. She had been found wandering around the woods, confused and frightened, feeling the remnants of the birthing drugs still lingering in her system. The Sandaime, Sarutobi, had her placed in a makeshift hospital tent, and she was in and out of consciousness for over two weeks. Her delirium during the time causing her to strike out violently at anything that approached, until finally the medics had her drugged numerous times.

When she finally became coherent, she was told of the battle. That Arashi had died sealing the Kyuubi, and her son was presumed dead from the destruction of the hospital; they'd never found his body. She had withdrawn upon herself for nearly a year, depression eroding her soul away. It had been Kakashi who'd finally helped her out of the rut she'd been in, forcing her to go on missions with him, trying to bring her back to who she once was. While she never really got over her husband's so called death, she'd moved on, however painful it was.

Kakashi himself had fallen into depression after the epic battle between the demonic fox and his teacher, but within a month had finally come to terms with it. In the beginning, he'd resented the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, hating the boy. He'd thought it was the fox, hiding behind a clever disguise of human skin. It had taken a lot of time, and a lot of self healing, before he realized the boy was just that, a boy.

Anko tried to not think about the Kyuubi vessel, not wanting to bring up heart wrenching memories of happier days. She'd see him walking through the village when he was younger, head down and depression in his eyes, weighing on his shoulders. He couldn't have been older than five at the time, and something about it had sent a stab of morose feeling within her like an icy dagger to the gut.

It was the day after she saw him again, head held up proudly with a face breaking grin on his face. He'd marched right up into a crowd of people and declared he was going to be the next Hokage, grinning the whole time. While the crowd reacted with distaste and hatred, Anko had seen through the look the vessel had been wearing: that happy-go-lucky grin. The untrueness of that look made her realize: he wasn't even really happy. He was trying to show that the way he was treated didn't effect him, that no matter how much they ridiculed or degraded him, he was going to pretend he didn't care.

It was the same look she had everyday, trying to live with the hatred and glares of the petty villagers who thought she was a traitor because of her former teacher. It was that day she decided that maybe the boy really wasn't the demon in disguise; that perhaps he really was just a lonely little boy.

Anko looked up at the Godaime, still clutching Arashi to her and barely managed to crack her voice and say, "Alive...?"

Anko willed it to be true. If there was any chance Kaji was alive, should would take it. Arashi stared at Tsunade, "If... if Kaji's alive, then why didn't anyone know? Why wouldn't someone say anything?"

Tsunade felt her heart break again as she looked at Arashi, his broken face slowly begin to light up with hope. "Arashi... It's... it's not that simple. He's..." Tsunade trailed off at the ground, her eyes moistening.

Jiraiya sighed heavily and looked at his former student, "Look, kid. The boy's had a hard life. He's grown up by himself, and in a village like this, it didn't matter how much you wanted him to be seen as a hero. The fact of the matter is, you sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune into the belly of your son, they didn't see him the way you wanted him to, all they saw was the demon."

Anko looked at Jiraiya in horror as the implications of the situation set in. Suddenly, she frowned and said in a wholly Anko-ish manner, "You mean that loud brat is my son? Oh, hell." Then she giggled in a slightly hysterical way and buried her face back into Arashi's shoulder, making a mixture of hiccups, laughing and crying at the same time.

Arashi rubbed her back soothingly, and after a few moments looked back up at the three above him. "Can... can I meet him? Please? Tell him... tell him I'm sorry for what I did to him? Maybe... hopefully one day... we can be a family... if he ever forgives me..."

That said, Arashi buried his face back into Anko's shoulder. Holding her in his arms and rocking her slowly.

Kakashi shook his head at the scene and wondered why Fate had to be so cruel.

* * *

**End of Chapter One**

**Ookami Mononoke**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Yay! The second installment! Well, I realize that I've portrayed Anko very differently than what is the norm, but you guys have to consider: Anko's personality isn't _that_ developed in the series. She only appears in a handful of episodes, such as the Chuunin exams and then the few filler episodes set in Rice country. Yes, she does appear sadistic, and yes, she is going to be like that in my story. However, I'm not going to go into it as much as some authors do. For now, though, she's going to be as mentally tested as I can make her be. Hah! I win!

**Summary:** Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. Except for the fact that a disappearance is much different than a sealing.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own, you no sue.

* * *

**The Jump **

**Chapter Two**

Arashi breathed a ragged sigh and massaged his temples lightly, hoping to ease the throbbing headache that was threatening to turn to a migraine at any moment. Fifteen years was a very long time to catch up on. His golden brows tugged downwards slightly, and he frowned, marring his almost perfect complection with a loose unease.

He was laying on his bed, or rather, a guest bed, set up in the Ninja Tower. Currently, he was staying in on of the Hokage's spare rooms, usually reserved for visiting feudal lords of those higher up in the hierarchy. He had only been in Konoha for about a week and a half now, mostly recovering in the hospital with the help of Tsunade's talented healing skills.

During the duration of that time, he had been kept secret from almost all of the residents, as well as shinobi, that resided inside the walls of the ninja village. Truthfully, only a handful of ninjas knew he was there, as well as the ANBU that discovered him, and a few medics that treated him over the past week. It pained him to no end, though, when he discovered that the Sandaime had been murdered.

Arashi's lips curled in disgust.

That damn snake, killing his own teacher, the kind, gentle man (if he wasn't one's enemy, that is), that put his whole self into the village, throwing himself in harms way to protect it by any means necessary. Oh, how he wished that Sandaime was still here, to lecture him as he used to, and to guide him. Sarutobi-sensei had done wonders for him, and he had helped him succeed to Hokage.

A fleck of a smile reached his lips in the fond memory of the Third, and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing. Oh, how he missed that old fool terribly. It was sad to know that he would never see his friend again, and he ached on the inside. He himself had been the dead last of the class, but Sandaime-sama had seen past his shy exterior and placed him with Jiraiya, the loud and perverted Sannin.

He had been shy as a young ninja, and hesitant in his skills; but as he spent more and more time with Jiraiya, training with him and his fellow two teammates, he had grown into an independent, and well mannered young man. He had been a loner, an outcast, as being an orphan often did to young children. He never remembered his parents, and he only knew that they had died in an early battle between Kumoha and Konoha. It had been one of the earlier battles in the war between the two, but there were casualties nonetheless.

He had lived in the orphanage until he was old enough to enter the academy at age six, then he was placed into foster care for a few years until he was ten, and from then on he lived on his own in a shabby little apartment. He was given minimum allowances to buy groceries with, which at first he blew off on knick-knacks, until he learned that zero balance is a bad thing, and it's wise to spend money on your food, not little no-good gadgets.

He had graduated from the academy at age eight (he'd failed the exam once), and then moved on to be a Genin until he was twelve, when he made Chuunin after his third try. Then he waited until he was fifteen to apply for the Jounin exams, which, surprisingly, he passed on his first go around. Once he was seventeen, he acquired his first Genin, not specifically a team, but one student - the child prodigy Kakashi. A bright, if not lazy young boy who showed all the promise of being one of the Konoha's greatest ninjas. When Arashi was twenty, he became the hokage, Yondaime. In fact, he became the youngest Hokage in the history of Konoha (Although considering that there had only been three Hokage before him, it wasn't too great a deal).

But as much as he loved his village, he hated it.

He had been told of the villager's treatment of his son, but then, he had also known that the boy, as well as Konohagakure, was unaware of his lineage. _Uzumaki Naruto._ Arashi smiled softly, thinking the name Sarutobi had chosen for his son had apparently suited him. A whirlpool of emotions, power, and attitude that seemed to effect everything in its midst. Personally, he liked _Kazaama Kaji_, the name he and Anko had decided upon. Although he was somewhat lacking of the details of Naruto's early childhood, he knew that the kid had it tough.

Arashi hoped to lighten that load somewhat.

He sighed, and looked at the file of Uzumaki Naruto again.

He wasn't too sure how this little "Reunion" of theirs was going to go.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, had a pretty normal life, if one asked him themselves, maybe a little lonely, but overall not that bad, especially the ramen in it. Because ramen makes everything better, or so Naruto's philosophy went. Anything could be cured over a nice, steamy bowl of freshly cooked ramen. Particularly miso ramen, but that was beside the point.

Not that Naruto really cared as long as he was getting his noodles.

"Oi!! Old man!! Is my ramen done yet!!??" Naruto yelled, holding up his chopsticks, ready to dig in as soon as the ramen hit his bowl. The old man smiled kindly, his eyes crinkling in well worn laugh-lines that had etched themselves deep into his face from years of smiling.

"Hai, hai, hold your horses, boy, it'll be done as soon as it's done. Here," He dumped some already done ramen into Naruto's bowl. "That should tide you over for now," he smiled again as Naruto grinned so wide his eyes snapped tightly shut and dug eagerly into the small portion of ramen before him, "Alright!"

This was how Tsunade found them.

The young-looking Hokage smiled lightly as she came into Ichiraku Ramen Bar and saw the little scene play out in front of her. "Oi, I hope you aren't eating this man out of restaurant, brat." He turned around with a mouthful of noodles and glared her, a small tick forming on his forehead. Swallowing the remainder of his ramen, he scowled, "Keh, I'm not a brat, you old hag!"

He stuck his tongue out at her impishly, and the restaurant owner put the rest of Naruto's now cooked ramen into his bowl. Naruto gave a yell of happiness and dug into it ravenously. Tsunade sat on a stool next to him, and cupped her face in her hands.

Tsunade laughed, overlooking the remark on her age for once, "Alright, alright. Hurry up though, and when you're done come to my office, I have to introduce you to someone." Naruto blinked at her, ramen dangling out of his mouth haphazardly, "Eh?" Nearly losing his ramen speaking, he quickly grabbed it again with his mouth, and slurped it up quickly.

He grinned at her, "Eh? Is it someone important!? Another Kage you want to brag about to me to!? Some village dignitary!? A clan leader to train me in secret ninja styles!?" He wiped his nose importantly while he smiled, "Aa! You're finally recognizing my strength!!" Tsunade sweat dropped, and waved a hand at him. "Eh, not really, Naruto. It is someone important, and I think you'll benefit from meeting him. He... he knows something about your parents."

Naruto blinked in shock. He lowered his chopsticks carefully, setting them next to his bowl, and looked at her with wide eyes. "My... my parents?"

Tsunade nodded, "Come to my office when you're done, we'll talk then. We can't here, it's confidential." She stood up, and smiled at him as she walked out of Ichiraku, heading towards the Hokage tower.

Naruto sat there in dumb shock. _My parents? I... I have... a mom and a dad?_

The old man looked at Naruto concernedly. "Hey, you okay kid?" He asked. And not for no reason, Naruto looked pretty shaken up. "Eheheh, yeah," Naruto replied, and dug into his pocket for some money and placed it on the counter. "Eh, I'm not too hungry anymore, sorry for wasting your ramen." Naruto stood up and walked out of Ichiraku Ramen Bar, a little bell ringing as he left for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Naruto shoved his hands in his orange pockets and strolled casually towards the double doors to Tsunade's office. His flak jacket shifted slightly as he moved his arms, and a flash of black appeared beneath his jacket, showing a form-fitting sleeveless shirt beneath.

As Naruto closed the door behind him, he grinned at Tsunade, his smile so wide it closed his eyes and stretched his whisker-marks, "Hey, old hag." The two other occupants of the room, Jiraiya, whom was standing near the left edge of Tsunade's desk, and another Blond-haired man, sitting in a chair diagonally across form the Godaime and next to two other empty seats turned to look at him. The Blond-haired man raised an eyebrow while Jiraiya grinned.

Tsunade sighed and leaned forward in her chair to rest against her desk to massage her temples, a desk that, surprisingly, had no paperwork in piles today. "Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you _not _to call me that?" Naruto laughed and crossed his arms.

"It doesn't really matter, granny, because I'm gonna call you that forever. You should do like the peeking pervert, he got over the fact that's what I'm gonna call him for the rest of his life."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. _'Do like Jiraiya?' _She mused, _'That's a first.' _A chuckle was heard from the Blond-haired man at the mention of Jiraiya's nickname. Meanwhile, the hyper-active boy in front of her just grinned crazily. Tsunade waved a hand towards him, dismissing it. "Anyway," the Godaime said, clearly heading towards other matters, "We're here to discuss something other than little nicknames, Naruto. Take a seat." She gestured towards the empty seats in front of her desk next to the other man.

Naruto's grin faltered, and his smile faded. Nodding almost blankly, he maneuvered in front of the chair in the middle and sat down, warily eyeing the Blond-haired man next to him. He stared at him for a moment, unsure. He looked oddly familiar, almost strikingly similar to something, and something in his brain was nagging him in the corner of his mind, telling him that he knew who he was, he knew this man from somewhere.

Then it clicked.

Naruto clutched his stomach, right over the seal and started shaking. His eyes flickered and went from blue to red-tinted purple as the thought of who this man sitting next to him was, and what he had done to him; who he had saddled him with for the past fifteen. His shoulders were stiff, and his lips were turned in a snarl, showing elongated teeth.

Such anger.

Arashi, Yondaime of Konohagakure, was saddened to see his son in such a state, and to know it was directed at him. Jiraiya and Tsunade tensed, feeling the youki of the imprisoned Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Fox of Nine-tails.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Naruto turned his head towards Arashi. His face turned slightly downward, his eyes fixated on the Yondaime. His whisker-marks were thickened to almost a quarter of an inch, appearing to pull back on his skin in his snarl, accentuating it. His bloodlust-filled eyes bored into Arashi's own, and he felt a tremor run through his body with remembrance of that perilous night he sealed the demon in his son.

Naruto looked down and took a few needed deep breaths, and his teeth shrank to normal size, and his whisker-marks faded and grew smaller. His deep, cerulean eyes permeated Arashi's soul and his gaze darkened as he regained control over his emotions. He looked stoically at the Yondaime, the anger in his chest making to burn a hole in his heart, and said only three words.

"**I hate you."**

He turned sharply on his heel and strode out of the Godaime's office, his hands clenched at his side, blood dripping off of his knuckles from where his fingernails broke the skin in his palms.

In his wake he left two speechless Sannin, and the man he would come to know, someday, as his father.

The doors slammed shut behind him and he swept down the hallway without breaking stride. His eyes were focused on the ground below him, watching his own footsteps as he walked as fast as he could without running.

He was suddenly halted as he turned around a corner and collided against someone with a rather loud _thump_ sound. Naruto rubbed his head a bit and mumbled out a quick apology. "Sorry, lady." Mitarashi Anko blinked in surprise as she realized just who she had run into. Her mind went into overload as she looked at her son before her. Tears threatened to spill as she reached out and grabbed the boy, earning her a surprised "Urk!", and pulling him into a fierce hug.

Naruto blinked in surprise. It wasn't everyday he was hugged completely out of random. Hell, he was barely ever hugged to begin with. She was a bit taller than him, making the embrace slightly awkward. He was very tempted to fidget in the tight embrace, but when the woman holding him started to tremor, he went with his instincts and circled his arms around her and held her back. He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew he should always help someone who needed it.

He'd forgotten how angry he was just a split second ago, and patted the woman's back awkwardly. "Hey, it's okay," he said quietly, "What's wrong?"

Anko gave in as tears flowed down her cheeks as she clutched her son. She hated showing weakness, and she hated crying even more. But dammit, this was her child! "I'm sorry!" she choked. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Naruto blinked in confusion, but chose not to comment and just let her talk.

"It's all my fault! I should have noticed! I shouldn't have been so stupid. You look so much like him, I'm sorry!" She'd started off talking loudly, but it dwindled until it was no more than a whisper. "I'm sorry," she said again, held him tight for a moment longer, then released him, looking down at the floor in misery..

Naruto had no idea what was going on, but tried to cheer her up anyway.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, and frowned when he saw more tears flow down her cheeks. He sighed and reached out and gave her the hug this time. This one was shorter than the previous, and when he let go he smiled cheerfully at her.

"No worries, lady! I'll be your escort this evening! Where ya' headed? Uzumaki Naruto at your service!" He grinned widely and flourished an exaggerated bow. Anko let out a small chuckle, and Naruto looked up at her happily, glad she laughed. He blinked for a moment, then cocked his head to the side and smiled again. "Hey, I remember you!" he said. "You proctored my first Chuunin exam in the Forest of Death! Damn, that place was creepy! Hey, your name is... uh..." he paused, then laughed, "Anko! Right?"

Anko smiled and wiped her face off, "Yup. Mitarashi Anko at _your_ service. Damn, sorry about that, I hate crying." She wrinkled her nose slightly and sniffed. "Actually, I'm headin' to the Hokage's chambers. I'm a bit late though... although, _you're_ supposed to be there as well." Naruto's face fell from his usual cheery visage, and he looked down coldly.

She looked at him curiously, but as soon as his frown appeared, it vanished into that practiced grin as he popped his head up towards her. "Alrighty then!" he pronounced and jutted his elbow out for her. "Your escort, madam!" Anko grinned at him, then looped her arm through his.

"And away we go!"

* * *

Kazaama Arashi banged his head against the Hokage's table for the hundredth time. He groaned and his shoulder's slumped, then he banged it again. Tsunade sat across from him, her hands folded in front of her face thoughtfully.

Arashi thumped his head again.

Jiraiya sighed, "Oi, stop it before ya' damage your brain, brat." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the scroll shelf behind him. The Yondaime hit his head against the desk once more. "Quit whinin' brat. It coulda' gone much worse." The old pervert paused and then leered, "Speakin' of worse, where's that psycho woman of yours anyway?" Arashi shrugged and banged his head again.

The doors to the Hokage's chambers banged open once more, causing two of the occupants to stiffen and stand at the ready. A small amount of smoke poured into the office, and two silhouettes appeared inside.

"DUAL DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!!!"

Two figures in horribly ridiculous and dramatic poses appeared like something out of a bad anime.

Jiraiya and Tsunade both sweat dropped.

"Speak of the devil," the old frog hermit mumbled.

Arashi hit his heat.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and started backing up. "Well, my job here is done. Great bein' your escort, lady, but I gotta' split, believe it!" He swung around and attempted to stride out of the door.

"_Naruto_!" His name was issued from Tsunade like the crack of a whip and he froze on command, one foot held midair. "Sit down," she said, her voice calm and sharp.

He turned with a slight grin, "Actually, I'd rather be goin' old hag." Naruto turned back and attempted to walk out again.

"Sit!"

Naruto sat.

His back to the other four occupants and halfway out the door, Naruto sat frozen like a statue, spine rigidly straight.

"Come here, and take a seat between Anko and Arashi. We have a lot to discuss."

Naruto rose to his feet slowly, his eyes fixated on the ground. His steps were deliberate and calculated as he made his way to the Hokage's desk. Maneuvering between the woman he'd walked to the office and the man that sealed his demon, he sat down.

"Good, thank you, Naruto," Tsunade said softly. Naruto looked up at her and they held gazes for a moment before he broke eye contact, looking down to his side.

"I understand that this is going to be hard on us all, but we all have to try to work through all this," Tsunade said, " It's going to be bringing up a lot of bad memories, but I need you three to be as open and honest with each other as possible. Now, let's begin. Kazaama Arashi, Yondaime Hokage. Mitarashi Anko, Special Jounin of Konoha. Uzumaki Naruto, Rookie Jounin. We are here to discuss the circumstances involving the battle of the Kyuubi and figure out exactly _why_ Arashi is alive and _why _noone knew Naruto was your child."

Jiraiya sighed from where he was leaning against the scroll shelf. _This was going to take a while._ Naruto fidgeted in his seat, looking at the two adults on either side of him out of the corners of his eyes. _If the Fourth was his father and he was here, then Anko... Well, I guess it makes sense now._ Naruto groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. Everyone's attention turned towards him.

"You mean that loud woman is my m-mother?" He jerked his free thumb towards Anko, his voice cracked and he hated himself for it "Oh, hell."

Arashi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, but still looked rather amused. Anko, on the other hand, had no qualms about laughing, and let out a sharp, "Ha! You _are_ my son!" Jiraiya chuckled, and Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, now that we've established that, let's continue shall we?" She asked. They all nodded, and she leaned forward on her desk, propping up on her arms and elbows. "Now, the real question is: _How did you survive_?" She said, staring straight at Arashi.

The man frowned, looking thoughtful for just a moment, then pulled a folder from underneath his chair. "I've been thinking about that myself," he said, "and doing some independent research while I recovered. My theory is that when the Shikigami attempted to eat the Kyuubi, the fox's power was too great, therefore making it impossible for the Death God to eat it all. I imagine the portion that it _did_ eat was enough to fulfill the terms of the contract, releasing my soul. My theory on the _Time-Jump_, so to speak, is that in the realm of the Death God, time is apparently irrelevant and twisted. I do not know how long I was there, nor how long it took me to leave. I do not believe it was an extended period of time, however. I'm still researching all plausible answers, but these are the most concrete and acceptable theories I can form at the time."

Tsunade nodded, then turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I know this is going to be especially difficult for you, but we've finally found out _why_ no one knew you were their son," she said as she pulled a file out of her desk drawer. Flipping it open, she read aloud, "Kazaama Kaji, missing. No body found in hospital wreckage, assumed dead. Mother: Mitarashi Anko. Father: Kazaama Arashi. Date of Birth: October 10" She turned a couple pages. "Uzumaki Naruto, parentage unknown. Date of Birth: October 10. It is unknown where the infant is from or whom its parents are. Parents assumed dead from Kyuubi attack. No further information."

She looked at the files coldly, "I for one don't understand why no one noticed it before, and now that I think about it, it's fairly obvious. My guess is that Sarutobi was suspicious about your parentage, or he even knew it. Most likely, though, is that he knew, but he didn't want you in any more danger than you were already in."

Naruto bristled in his chair and practically snarled, "Any more danger!? It's not like I never had assassination attempts made on me! They were almost a common fucking occurrence until I graduated! It was all _'Kill the demon! Thrash the brat! Beat the monster'_ until I was fucking twelve! What kind of bullshit was he smoking in that pipe of his?"

Tsunade scowled at him, reaching across her desk to thump him on the head. "Listen, you brat! They would have come much more often and from higher trained ninja had you been announced the Yondaime's son! Yes, the villagers might have left you alone instead of harassing you like they did, but would it be worth it to be killed off in your sleep by a ninja seeking vengeance against Arashi? Would it have!?"

Naruto leapt out of his chair and onto his feet. "I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask to be _his_ son," He gestured with his arm violently towards Arashi, "and I sure as _hell_ didn't ask for that fucking fox to be sealed in me! I just wanted to be normal, dammit! What the fuck is _up_ with all this shit!?" He shouted out, tears threatening to spill out of his closed sapphire blue eyes. His arms were rigid by his side and his hands were clenched into fists. _Why?_ He thought, arms shaking. _Why?_

Arashi stood up from his chair and faced Naruto. Moving his seat out of the way, he knelt down upon the ground and let his forehead touch the floor, his eyes averted and the back of his neck bared to his son.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I thought... I was naive enough to believe that the villagers would treat you as the hero you are... You cannot understand how sorry I am that this is the way it turned out... Please, I apologize, and I want to try to make it better. I cannot take back the years of suffering you have endured without my presence here, but I can try to make it better from now on. Please, I want to be there for you now, because I couldn't before..."

Naruto looked down at the man bowing in front of him and was filled with conflicting emotions. Did he really want this man in his life? The man who had practically ruined it in the first place?

Naruto sighed, finally admitting it to himself.

_Yes._

She didn't realize when she had stood, or when she reached out to him. But one moment Anko had been sitting in her chair, and the next she was behind her son, arms holding him. She clutched him to her, and whispered in his ear, _"You are our child, our son, and we want you to be happy."_

Tears leaked from Naruto's eyes and he reached his own hands to hers and leaned back into her embrace. Arashi stood from his kneeling position and locked his arms around both of them silently. He was taller than both of them by at least four inches, and his reach encompassed the two easily.

The Yondaime held them silently, his own emotions beginning to get out of control.

_He had a family again._

**

* * *

End of Chapter Two**

**Ookami Mononoke**


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